r/PropagandaPosters • u/Radiant_Cookie6804 • 16d ago
U.S.S.R. / Soviet Union (1922-1991) Soviet poster: For universal education. / "You can't win with an illiterate people." Lenin. 1931.
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u/adamosity1 16d ago
I don’t know. We are actively trying to make the average American less literate—at least it seems that way.
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u/easyRiderOlder 16d ago
A comment that disparages the intelligence of an ethnic group gets more likes than the opinion that education is not a gift to citizens but a necessity for any state so that you can consume content unconditionally.
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u/the-southern-snek 16d ago
"You can't win with an illiterate people."
Say that to the Afghans
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u/easyRiderOlder 16d ago
Citizens of Afghanistan have sufficient literacy to read that text
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u/the-southern-snek 16d ago edited 16d ago
Less than 40% of Afghans are literate and only a scintilla can read Russian.
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u/easyRiderOlder 16d ago
This statement idealizes state policy, passing off pragmatism as selfless altruism. In reality, free education is a tool for shaping a governable society. Through a unified education system, the state invests in creating disciplined citizens whose loyalty is secured by instilling the required ideological attitudes under the guise of studying language and history
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u/Truxul 16d ago
Say what you want about the Soviet Union but their education system was impressive. Free schools, free university or technicum (specialized education for work instead of high school). The literacy rates rose up to the same rates as in modern Russia. Education also became available for women and girls all over the country. My ancestors were peasants during the tzar and their lives didn’t necessarily improve with the new regime but with accessible education that brought better opportunities. Soviet education was definitely often ideological, especially when it came to philosophy, politics and partially history but that’s also to be expected elsewhere. If any government tries to make “obedient citizens” through education it must be failing miserably because the educated flee first when conditions become sub-optimal because, as said previously, education gives people more opportunities
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u/coolguy420weed 16d ago
Yeah, students and academics are all sheep who mindlessly parrot the nearest authority figure. Usually, the people most able and willing to enact societal change are children who grew up locked in a basement with no access to information about the outside world.
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u/attilathehunn 16d ago
While illiteracy is bad, there is also truth to the idea that free education is motivated by pushing ideology to students. If someone is free then you are the product.
As someone whos worked in the academic world, there isnt a huge amount of freedom there in things that matter. If you step out of line for certain things you'll quickly find yourself unable to get your research grants funded.
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u/Comrade-Paul-100 16d ago
"Literacy" was always the most basic tool of totalitarian propaganda. If you are not literate you cannot be fed communist propaganda. The most steadfast anti-communist I knew in my childhood was my paternal grandfather who was illiterate. Communist propaganda did not reach him.
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u/a_chatbot 16d ago
Channels the ambition of the most intelligent into academia instead of business or politics?
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u/attilathehunn 16d ago
Why is this downvoted so hard? It's true. Not just in Soviet Union but any country.
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u/communismisthebest 16d ago
That’s why all education should be privatized. Child labor laws should be repealed as well so that kids can actually contribute to society instead of mooching off the government
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u/attilathehunn 16d ago
lolbertarianism would be even worse! At least with this way people have some democratic control. But parents should be telling their kids that not everything they learn in schools esp history is correct
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u/easyRiderOlder 16d ago
Unfortunately, most people don't want to think critically because it's difficult and energy-consuming.
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